This week: Author Interview Edited by: Fyn-elf  
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You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children. ~~Madeleine L’Engle
Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.~~Stephen King
Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.~~Mark Twain
We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.~~Ernest Hemingway
I write for the same reason I breathe … because if I didn’t, I would die.~~Isaac Asimov
The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.~~Sylvia Plath
Many a book is like a key to unknown chambers within the castle of one’s own self.~~Franz Kafka
Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.~~William Faulkner
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For this week's newsletter, I'm interviewing an indie author I discovered recently. Her name is Dawn Merriman. I read one book in a series, promptly devoured the rest of the series, and went on to read everything she's written. I love the fact that she's an indie writer. She has learned to do it all herself even beyond the writing, revision, and editing: killer covers, layout, blurbs, e-books, and marketing.
Many of her books are in the top five or ten in the differing genres and she's doing it! She is reader-friendly (a good thing!) and we have become friends and so I thought it might be fun to interview her for my newsletter. We talked on the phone and I emailed her some questions.
Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Many people talk about writing a book, but you leapt in and did it. What made you take that first leap into writing your initial book?
My first published novel is How Murder Saved my Life about a woman who lives on a farm and spends a lot of time alone. She is battling severe depression and has to overcome that as she solves the murder of a woman whose body was left on her farm. I wrote this book after a very dark time in my own life. A lot of the awful things that go through Zoey's mind are taken directly from bad thoughts I had. I wanted the book to help others that are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts.
I actually finished my first novel in middle school, but it was definitely not publishable. I'd written several books before How Murder Saved my Life. I finally had one I thought was good enough to publish. My kids were in their late teens by then and I had the time to dedicate to writing. It just felt like the right time and the right story.
I would classify your books as psychological thrillers. What led you to that genre?
I'm kind of obsessed with true crime and murder. I find it fascinating that people can actually kill each other. No matter how many times I write it or how many shows I watch about it, what humans are capable of is just nuts. I love the psychological aspect of a story. I've always been drawn to the darker side of human nature and love exploring the 'what ifs' of it. I can't imagine writing something other than mysteries and thrillers.
Can you tell my readers what your writing day is like?
My days are actually pretty boring. I get to my home office around 8:00 with a coffee in hand. I always listen to music on my headphones and turn it up really loud. I have certain playlists that help me get in the mood of the scene I need to write. I get a lot of inspiration from music. Once I'm pumped up, I sit down and face the blank screen and blinking cursor. Sometimes the words come easily. Sometimes, I just start with one sentence, and then another and then it takes off from there. I usually write for about 2 hours, sometimes longer. I'm normally very tired by then, so I take a lunch break. Occasionally, I will write again in the afternoon, but normally I do chores or laundry or other things until my family comes home. I am blessed with pretty easy days. A lot of my work is just staring out the window, thinking. Or mowing the lawn or washing dishes, thinking. I think A LOT about stories. That allows me to be ready to write the next day.
What is your favorite part of writing a novel? What is your least favorite part?
My favorite part is definitely the high when my characters "talk" to me and the ideas flow easily. There is nothing like creating an entire world of people and places and events in my head. I have tons of ideas that never make it to paper because I just love creating.
My least favorite is the self-doubt. I've written 14 published novels, but each time, I wonder did I do the story justice? Did I tell it in a way that will intrigue readers? Can I really do this writing thing or am I kidding myself? I think all writers or creatives, in general, suffer from this.
As an indie author, what do you find is the most difficult part of the entire/ongoing process?
Having to do all my own marketing. Of course, even traditionally published authors basically run their own marketing campaigns. It is a skill that is very unlike writing but just as important. No one can read what you wrote if they don't know it exists.
In one of your books, dolls play a major focus. Can you tell us a bit about why you chose the dolls as a focal point?
I have always had a love/hate relationship with dolls. On the one hand, they can be beautiful or cute, but those eyes! The stare just always freaks me out. In the book Inheriting Elyse, I took that to a whole new level. I have a doll that used to be my daughter's that is the size of a small child. That thing is creepy and was part of the inspiration for Elyse. The doll in the book scared so many readers, she became a recurring character throughout the series.
Do you have a specific 'muse'? Who and why?
Music is really my muse. A random line in a song can easily give me a scene idea. Certain characters even have their own theme songs. As for a human muse, my husband is a huge help with ideas and plot problems. It is fairly common to find us discussing the best way to commit a murder or some wild scene. I get a lot of ideas from brainstorming with him.
It is fun to have someone to discuss things like murder with! Do you have a favorite book or series from your books? And why.
My favorite book I've written is by far Marked by Darkness. I've written about 10 books since that one, but it's still my favorite. It is such a unique blend of thriller and emotion. I cried so many times when I wrote it and scared the pants off me as well. It is the first in my Maddison, Indiana series and I love the creepy factor in all the books in that series. My Messages of Murder series is my best-selling, but for me the scary books are more fun to write.
And they are absolutely that! And finally, advice you'd care to share for other indie authors?
Trust the story. As I write, I sometimes don't know what comes next or how it ends, or how it will all work out. It is easy to get caught up in that and get blocked. Just trust the story. If the story is talking to you, it will all come out okay. One sentence at a time.
Given that Dawn was juuuuust at the end of the book she's working on, I really appreciated the time she spent with me answering questions. You can find out more about her at www.DawnMerriman.com or on Amazon.
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I went down through the recent emails I've received here and went to ports for my editor's picks this week.
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Miracle of a stained glass window, inspired by a word prompt.
#1680443 by eyestar~*  |
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LOTS of feedback from my last newsy! This makes me happy - to see people react and engage! :) And to see the variety of viewpoints and reactions!!!
Rhymer Reisen  wrote: What a great discussion!
Tom hanks did a brilliant job in Philadelphia back in 1994. He’s so good, he can handle roles most wouldn’t couldn’t assume with the same experience. At the same time, there are nuances to HIV and AIDS, especially when the movie was new, that aren’t captured as well as someone who’s lived through the condemnation of doctors, the constant back-and-forth in one’s mind of morality versus ethics…but this was also a two-hour movie, and there’s no possible way to effectively convey all of those aspects of reality.
With that, to research the LGBTQ+ genre is to discover a surprising amount of those authors are women who identify as straight. I think, really, anyone can write gay and straight. But there are so many details from reality potentially making a story more believable and rich.
In any case, so many perceptions are offered though stories because, at the heart, we’re all just needing the same things from life. That’s always the best place to start!
tank says: there should never be a character added just for their choice of gender. most folks in our society do not know what the varieties are anyhow. never add info about a character that isn't necessary. if it is necessary try to leak as little as possible as the story opens up. Personally, I try to write so that all our separators really don't make a difference. one of my first short stories was refused by more than one editor was insulted the way I treated a person of a certain race. the person was white in a mixed arena and I made him out to be a fool. since that story, I write where it doesn't matter unless that character's biological history is a major part of the story.
Graham B. comments:
I don't think the issue is whether an actor can play someone they're not, or an author can write a character that they're not. It's more about representation, both in the media, and in the industry. Speculative fiction, for example, is dominated by white men. It's been only recently that we have seen a wider demographic breaking into the genre. Authors such as N.K. Jemisin, and Liu Cixin are breaking in and bringing with them a new perspective informed by their own experiences. I think the literary space can only benefit from diverse voices. Personally, I disagree with Tom Hanks, but I'm not an actor, nor am I gay so I can't speak to his authenticity. I guess the more an actor/author tries to step outside their own experience when creating art, the more sensitivity to the people the characters represent they have to exercise to bring as much authenticity to their portrayal. It's like you said: TONS of research.
Tadpole1  adds: Hi Fyn, I read the article and then popped back to see who had written it, and it was you! Lol! I think that we can do research and write. It just makes sense. After all, how many dragons has anyone actually ridden? And, who ever encountered a vampire or a werewolf? Yet, we love stories about Zeus and the other myths, yet no one ever truly encountered Aphrodite.
Nobody’s Home  writes: Hi Fynn- I think you're looking at the Tom Hanks quote from an interesting angle. I don't know how this will apply to writing, but here's my take on the quote: What I think he's saying is that when Philadelphia was made, the film needed Tom Hanks to be the actor playing the frightened man who was gay and had AIDS. In 1993 when that movie was released, the climate surrounding the gay community was nothing like what it is today. Without a strong, straight, and well-loved actor like him playing the lead, Philadelphia wouldn’t have been an acceptable movie for the “general public” to go see, it would have been a “gay movie” that only queers would even consider going to see, it probably would have bombed miserably even if it had received accolades, and who knows what might be different about how people with AIDS were/are treated/looked at. Tom Hanks bridged a gap that needed bridging in 1993.
Today, because the climate in the US has changed significantly, we don't need that bridge. Tom Hanks would look ridiculous playing that role, and he knows it. He wouldn’t be accepted and the authenticity of the film would be rejected outright. As things are now, that film would likely be better accepted by a larger portion of our society with more authenticity while lacking a big name to make it "safe" for everyone to see. I'm really not sure how you'd like to apply this to writing, but as a queer girl, that's what I'm getting from your Tom Hanks quote. He's being honest and I see nothing wrong with what he said. He's a great person from what I've gathered - from Bosom Buddies to today *Smile*
Paul  reacts: I think Tom Hanks has stepped outside reality with that quote. Was he the worlds leading symbologist when he played him in The Da Vinci Code? How about a prison guard in The Green Mile or an army captain when he did Saving Private Ryan? If he feels that way he should give up the career he has now, it’s all about pretending to be something you’re not. It’s not cultural appropriation.
Like was said, “Actors, act.” I’m one and I’ve been many things on screen and stage, Badger in Wind In The Willows was a favorite part and I don’t think I’m one of those.
Beholden  comments: Years ago, when I was at university and studying Fine Arts and English Literature, I was occasionally invited to Performing Arts parties. They were raucous affairs and everyone behaved as the acting profession is supposed to behave. I, however, as a suitably studious representative of a more balanced and serious discipline, held back and pondered life morosely in a quiet corner. If you're going to be something, you have to act appropriately and everyone knows that writers are so much more thoughtful than mere actors.
And that is why you should never ask an actor what he thinks. The plain fact is, if he's doing his job properly, he doesn't think, he pretends. So it is no great surprise when an actor, even one as great as Tom Hanks, answers a question with such utter and obvious nonsense.
That, of course, is why no one ever asks a writer what he thinks. The problem is that venturing upon such a course puts you in severe danger of hearing the truth.
Annette  adds: At the base of it, I think actors are just pretending to be someone else for a certain amount of time while they are their own self at all other times.
I think what Tom Hanks is trying to say is that in this current time, when actors who are gay can be openly gay, it feels wrong to cast a straight actor to play a gay character.
Of course, we all know that many of the "classic leading men" were closeted gay people. Some of them were even married in a heteronormative union. So, saying a gay person can't play straight has definitely been debunked.
When it comes to trans actors wanting to play the trans roles, it's a little tougher to decide. I think if there are two equally qualified actors auditioning for the role to play a trans character and one of the auditioning actors is trans he/she/they should get the role.
However, I find it ridiculous that only gay people can "play" gay. Only trans people can "play" trans. And only men can write men. Or the only characters that I can write are white, straight women. That would kill all art.
In the end, it would be nice if people could just be whoever they are and do whatever they want. Including a transman being cast as a soccer dad or a transwoman being cast as a girly Starbucks barista if they play the part well.
Daisan comments: I think the issues with authenticity, particularly as it pertains to acting, is a slippery slope. So, should only straight actors play straight characters? It's called acting for a reason. I think it's much more important the writer have a level of authenticity than the actors as "if it's not on the page, it's not on the stage (or screen)". I do respect their desire for greater representation but that is in the stories and characters. I don't feel "only" a person of a particular preference is the only one who could effectively play a role. The same w/ voice actors. Unless they're going to be adding something to the role other than their voice the key players are the writers and producers to ensure authenticity of story and what we see.
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For Authors: July 20, 2022 Issue [#11468]
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